Week Eight

As time passes, we are seeing modern dance (contemporary dance) do what it does best: adapt to changing circumstances. One of my favorite qualities about modern dance is that it can fuse with many other dance forms and still be considered contemporary. One of the biggest crazes right now seems to be joining modern with hip hop. I think many choreographers are trying to take the "professional" and "respected" modern dance and fuse it with the "crowd-pleasing" and "commercially viable" hip hop dance. Personally, I feel that much of it is still boring. Here's why: I feel that the strongest quality that modern dance can offer a dancer/choreographer is the ability to truly say something that is unique and original to themselves. What I see in so many of these modern/hip hop fusion choreographers is that they are making "cookie-cutter" dances that look the same as everybody else's modern/hip hop dance. I want to see why a choreographer is unique. What are they doing that no one else is doing?

So, speaking of evolution, here is a clip from Israeli-born choreographer Hofesh Shechter. He is a product of the incredibly awesome Batsheva company (remember them from early in the quarter?), which is descended from Martha Graham, one of the founders of Modern dance. He is another step forward in the evolution of dance. Check him out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czcXspACmD8

Corollary Questions:

What speaks to you? Why? What is he doing that no one else is? If you were a choreographer, what unique abilities or interests would you fuse into your dancing?

Week Seven

If you haven’t noticed yet, I have a real interest in Dance for the Camera. This is a genre of art that is not just dance and not just film – it exists only when the two media are brought together. Check out these clips by French dance filmmaker Philippe Decouflé. The first is more light-hearted, the second more serious. Take note of those things that cannot be done on a stage in a live performance. These elements make it imperative for this dance to become a dance film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIOaIGJPmbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKwvwoVs41U

Corollary Question(s):

How important is "live" art to you? Is "live" dance becoming obsolete, replaced by dance films and other pre-recorded media? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Why? Do you think that Dance for the Camera pieces like you just watched could introduce new people to contemporary modern dance? Brainstorm a few other ideas to help promote contemporary modern dance’s cause.

Week Six

These clips come from William Forsythe, an American choreographer who has been living and working in Germany for decades. He was the main choreographer for the Frankfurt Ballet for many years and now has his own company. He considers himself to be a "ballet choreographer", but as you'll see, he is interested in renegotiating the definitions and structures of ballet. One of Forsythe's legacies is his training program for new dancers in his company. It is called Improvisation Technologies. The first clip is a soloist from Forsythe's company performing many different ideas involved in Improvisation Technologies like anatomical representation, inscription, and bridging. The second clip is some of Forsythe's work reimagined for video. Notice recurring themes between the two videos. Check this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iPScI15bUkE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cufauMezz_Q

Corollary Question(s):

What is the role of imagery in dance? Do you feel it is important to have imagery in mind while dancing? Why or why not? How can you utilize the principles of "Improvisation Technologies" to support and challenge you in our Contemporary class?

Week Five

The response from last week picks up on a very significant topic in contemporary dance discussions: the fusion of forms. While there are certainly still purist groups out there, the lines between dance idioms seem to be getting fuzzier. If you pay close attention you’ll start to see elements of hip hop, jazz, and sometimes even african dance sneaking into the “contemporary” class you are in right now.

Last week's clip goes hand in hand with this week's, although we have an entirely new set of questions to consider. This week we'll see a clip from Mats Ek. He is a Swedish gentleman who choreographs "ballets", but as you'll see again, these ballets deviate quite a bit from any classical vocabulary. In fact, they're downright modern to me. Also like last week's clip, this piece features a duet between a man and a woman... perhaps you know where I'm going with this.

Give this a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdXtP6GBHb8

Corollary Question(s):

Are there prescribed gender roles in dance? Are men expected to dance one way and women another? Do you think that modern dance promotes or distorts the ideals of the Feminist movement? Have you ever considered these questions as you approach movement in your dance classes?

Week Four

I think what I appreciate most about the posts from last week is the wide spectrum of beliefs we all hold about dance. The point here is to be thinking – and hopefully, to be thinking about things you’ve never thought to question before. Here are my thoughts (you’ll probably notice that they are as varied as your own): I believe that movement can be created (and therefore exist) for the sake of movement, and I find that often when I am creating movement myself, I have no agenda other than piecing together unique contortions, swings of the body, and things that generally feel good, regardless of how "weird" they might appear. However, I believe that the very act of presenting movement opens it up to the interpretation of viewers. And in that way, movement, whether created with a message in my mind or not, may in fact have one. That begs the question, do I always have to “understand” a dance in order to appreciate it? This is a huge topic for me, but we won’t get to that just yet.

New topic then. Check out this clip from La La La Human Steps, a Canadian modern dance company headed by choreographer Edouard Lock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCHrzakA5X4

Corollary Question(s): Answer as many of these as interest you.

Is this ballet or modern dance? How can you really tell one from the other? Sure, the female dancer in this piece is wearing pointe shoes – does that make it ballet? Are the man and the woman dancing in the same or different idioms? Why might some consider this a contemporary modern work? What characteristics do ballet and modern dance share? How are they different? And why, then, is it important to train in both of these dance forms?

Week Three

I often find it difficult to qualify some dancers as “good” (and therefore others as “bad”) due to the utter subjectivity I’ve found in the art of watching. What I might find impressive and beautiful is not necessarily the same as what others might find appealing. And that’s what makes dance and art so exciting! I do not believe that you have to be flexible (or thin, or ridiculously strong, or insert another adjective of choice here) to be a captivating performer. My aesthetic preference has proven to be as such: if you "own" the movement, if you "commit" to the movement, if you are personally invested and interested in the movement you are performing, I will be interested as well.

One element I believe we can agree on is the importance of expressivity in dance. You’ve led me to my next set of questions.

Check out these clips from Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Belgium’s premier state-sponsored choreographer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs3wFNtqdAs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BkdcL804fo

Corollary Question(s):

Is dance expressive? Or rather, does it have to be? Can dance exist simply for the sake of movement? Or is there always inevitably an imbedded message? If you know anything about the history of modern dance (say, the Judson Church group), feel free to reference some of the historical ideas on this topic. If you are not familiar with this line of philosophical thought in dance theory and history, I’d love to hear your own ideas on the matter!

Week Two

I believe that you will agree that dancers who demonstrate an impressive “commitment” to movement achieve that distinction by giving whole-body, uninhibited performances. I hope that you begin to consider how you can apply this observation to your own dancing. Get your whole body involved! Let go of those inhibitions! No soapbox, here – just raw enthusiasm for the progress you’re going to make this term!

Many of you commented on the enviable flexibility of the dancers from Batsheva. What else besides the dancers’ flexibility caught your eye? This has inspired the next round of questions.

Check out this excerpt from “Café Muller” by German choreographer Pina Bausch, and a few clips from the brand new Wim Wenders documentary about her life, “PINA.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL31OTG7Io4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV2mPO5Ckeg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fy63Y1qAMI&

Corollary Question(s):

What, if any, are the baseline characteristics of a “good” dancer? For example, do you have to be flexible to be a good dancer? Or, can you be a captivating dancer even if you’re not especially flexible? Are there any traits that all successful dancers share?

Week One

Welcome to Beginning Contemporary Dance. These responses will not only be a vehicle for expressing your ideas, it will be my chance to share with you some of my favorite choreographers from around the world and some of my favorite topics of discussion. I have provided links to Youtube clips (generally under 5 minutes) and corollary questions. Your weekly tasks follow like so: watch the Youtube clip, read all of your classmates ideas and responses, and then provide a clear and concise reply to both the corollary questions and points brought up by your classmates. I hope that this will: 1) familiarize you with some important names in the dance world, and 2) encourage you to develop the observation and language skills to see and talk about dance. Since we only have 80 minutes in class each meeting, we will use all of that time to move! This, then, is where we will talk things out. Shall we?

First clip for viewing: Batsheva, a modern dance company from Israel. Over the summer I took a week long intensive with this company, and began learning their movement technique, called "Gaga". No, not like Lady Gaga. Batsheva has been around since before Lady Gaga was even born. My movement style is greatly influenced by Gaga technique. Check it out!

Corollary Question(s):

What stands out to you about their dancing? Do the dancers demonstrate an ability to embody movement that impresses you? What does it mean to "embody" movement? How do these dancers inspire you to approach this class?

If you need another example of a dancer fully embodying movement, enjoy the second clip from a DV8 Physical Theater (performance art group from the UK) dance-for-camera film entitled "The Cost of Living." Amazing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rCaHbOLGXfY

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yHV0CSwF25M